Imaginary Friends Forever
by Me
Summary: When Charles Schulz dies, the “Peanuts” gang finds they'll live on as imaginary friends, meet other characters, see funny things, explain stuff like the Van Pelt backyard pumpkin patch, & try to solve a problem


When Charles Schultz died, the "Peanuts" gang still found

A/N: Don't expect a complex plot, it's basically just a lot of fun, like my one baseball story was with other characters thrown in, as I consider the nature of imaginary friends, and have the "Peanuts" kids interacting with others, with some funny scenes. Not my best story per se, but I hope it's interesting, enjoyable, and maybe even thought provoking when it comes to the nature of imaginary friends. If I don't have time for more fan fiction, as is said here, they'll be in my heart, as "imaginary friends." Thanks to all for reading my stuff, and I encourage you to read RKORadio's, too. And, if I inspire anything, if you keep it wholesome, family-friendly, then I encourage you to use it in your own story. Like Calvin having Hobbes as an imaginary friend as an adult. It happens. Okay, on to the story…

Imaginary Friends Forever

"Why the long face, Big Brother?" Sally Brown asked.

Her brother, Charlie Brown, spoke lowly. "You heard the news, Sally, Charles Schulz just died. I just don't' know what's supposed to happen now."

Sally pointed out that there were some good possibilities. "According to one story, my Sweet Babboo takes me to the prom." Her "crush," Linus Van Pelt, was Charlie Brown's best friend. He was younger brother of Lucy Van Pelt, who was quite crabby. And older brother to Rerun Van Pelt, who had just graduated from Kindergarten.

"I know that one." He didn't always, considering how she mishandled the English language at times. He and Sally walked out the door, and along the sidewalk to a brick wall in their small home town. "I know some of the fan fiction authors are pretty good, but others…" he trailed off, not sure of what to say.

Linus ran up to them. "Charlie Brown, did you open your mail?"

"I haven't looked in it since it stopped raining; why?"

"I got an invitation," he said, reading with a grin. "It's a meeting of imaginary friends. This should be really fun; true imaginary friends should be there to help and guide, after all. And, sometimes be really silly."

Charlie Brown asked to see Linus', while Sally went to their mailbox. Snoopy, in a flying ace outfit, was carrying a sack of mail, and dutifully handed her two letters. "Thanks, Snoopy. Big Brother, here are our invitations." Suddenly realizing a flying ace was carrying them, she said, "Apparently, they were routed through 1918 France. Anyway, with Charles Schulz dead, it only figures that we'd end up like the Velveeta Rabbit."

"The what?" Linus asked.

"You know; that rabbit made of Velveeta. He's a best friend for a long time, till he has to be burned because he had some sickness on him. But, just before he gets destroyed, something happens, and he becomes real."

"Sally, you mean the Velveteen Rabbit," Charlie Brown explained calmly. "That's a fabric, I think it's something like velvet."

"Oh. I wondered how a rabbit could be made of cheese. Anyway, we can walk there pretty easy, according to this map."

Charlie Brown followed them. He wasn't sure what was going on. He only knew that at least he ended up with someone, according to "It's the Senior Prom, Charlie Brown."

As they began walking, the rest of the "Peanuts" gang joined them. Suddenly, a city bus went past with a dog driving it.

"What are you looking strangely at?" Rerun wanted to know. "Snoopy always drives things."

"Yes, but that wasn't Snoopy," Charlie Brown noted.

Linus ran ahead to a parking lot where the bus was pulling in. Snoopy was landing his Sopwith Camel in a parking place next to it as people began pouring out of the bus. "Excuse me…" he said, trying to get someone's attention. He was puzzled when he saw duplicates of several people, and stopped one. "Why are there doubles here?"

"Book and TV Universe; 'Full House.' You're Linus, right?" the girl asked. He was. "I'm D.J. Tanner; in short, there are enough differences, some subtle, some not, that it was decided both sets would be imaginary friends. We're getting inducted today."

"Inducted?" Schroeder asked as he walked up to the bus. "Into what?"

"You got the invitation because you characters are among the originals in this persons' imagination, as are the stuffed animals and the characters from a couple other comic strips. They're deciding who else will be. And, all of you can even help." She saw her family, and her and their doubles, running ahead. "Gotta go. See you in there."

"Did you learn anything?" Charlie Browns asked as more people exited the bus.

"I know less now than when I started," Linus said.

"Let's ask the driver. What's his name?"

"How should I know?" Charlie Brown asked Sally.

"That's okay; I'll call him 'Hey, you.'" She stepped inside the bus to find a pale green dog who introduced himself as "Bluey." "Who named you, a kid who didn't know his colors?"

"No, actually, I was blue, at one point, but I've faded over 30-plus years. And, as for my British accent, the joke is that I'm so old, I've got to be British because I'm from before the United States gained independence." He saw Snoopy checking out his Sopwith camel and starting toward the building. "Ah, Snoopy, just the person I wanted to see. Well, okay, the dog I wanted to see. But, anyway, we need help with something…" They left.

"See why I'm puzzled?" Linus said as Sally stepped off the bus.

The others surveyed the building; it was a long one, with rooms on each side as one went down the hall. On the outside, it said, "Yes Night Hall." "What in the world is that?" Lucy asked fussily.

"How did it get here," Peppermint Patty said. "This is where our town square should be.

Sally agreed. "It's like it appeared in blue," she said, meaning "out of the blue."

"Uh, Sally, it's not blue," Charlie Brown noted.

"Neither is Bluey."

"Hi, I'm Snoopy," another dog said; he looked kind of like Snoopy, but he was a medium shade of gray.

"I thought that kid with the funny nose was Snoopy," Peppermint Patty said.

"Well, I was named after Charlie Brown's. Anyway, the building can be moved quickly, just like Snoopy's doghouse. It was envisioned when this fellow was about three or four to explain how one had dreams, which he called 'yes nights,' as opposed to 'no nights,' which are bad. It's like a theater, with rooms where different ones happened. To make a long story short, the rooms are not in use for dreams right now, so we're meeting in the auditorium. Although, there may be stories and plots which can be viewed in some."

Sally didn't want to go in. "What if one of them is a 'no night'?"

"I can promise you that only 'yes nights' can be played in a 'yes night hall.' Hence, the name. And, no, Sally, the name is not 'Hence.' I don't really know how the others wee explained, except maybe he went to the wrong building."

They went inside, and surveyed the long corridor. They walked up to one door; a sign stated that it held a few remaining plots. "I wonder if any of these are ours. I hope if the thing with the prom is true, I don't end up messing my relationship up," Charlie Brown muttered.

They opened the door, and saw Sally's wedding rehearsal, which Charlie Brown had planned. As they stepped inside, they became passive observers as the adult Charlie Brown was trying to stall Sally.

--

The adult Charlie Brown said, "Sally, do you remember when you said that sometimes, two or three senses are good enough, and argued that all five weren't necessary to have a good time?" he asked.

"You mean that essay I wrote in third grade? What does that have to do with anything?"

"W-well, I-I was just thinking, you know, like when you said you don't have to hear food to know it's good, or smell music. If we were to have this wedding, and, say, someone forgot one little part…"

"Like what?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"Well, I mean, the important parts are here." Charlie Brown followed after Sally as she strutted toward the chapel. "You're here, Linus is here, I planned a beautiful wedding for you. Look, look at the fabulous decorations; all the flowers, the boy of your dreams…"

sally began to be lost in the glamour of it all. Maybe she had judged her big brother too harshly. Maybe he had put together the perfect wedding after all. Maybe he hadn't forgotten anything like she thought he heard him utter about earlier.

She was almost ready to stop worrying, when Peppermint Patty walked up to him, and as they held hands, told him, "It's too quiet."

The realization slowly dawned on her. "AAUGH!! Where's the music?!" Sally hollered.

"I…uh…sort of forgot about that part…"

--

"You forgot the music?!" Sally exclaimed, back in the present.

"Well, that's just in the one story. And, look, I mean, they are solving it; it's just the rehearsal. And, Schroeder's stepping up to play, instead of being one of the groomsmen. Everything's turning out okay," Charlie Brown said soothingly, trying to believe it himself. Inside, though, he knew it was just the kind of thing he'd do.

Marcie noticed Peppermint Patty's confused look. "I believe it's called a 'plot bunny,' Sir. It's a little scene that inspires a story. Except, here, nothing more came of it."

"Step calling me 'Sir.'"

Another stuffed dog walked up to them. "There aren't many of these left, at least not in fan fiction. There are definitely a few originals that may or may not get done, but if there are, they'll be books."

The "Peanuts" gang looked at the stuffed dog, the oddest looking one they'd ever seen. She had been purchased since the owner was legally blind; it was felt one with realy bright colors would be more visible, before it was known how much he could see. The dog was a purple poodle with a light green torso that held a floral pattern. "Who are you?" Schroeder inquired.

"My name is Blapser; the name's origin is lost to antiquity," the dog joked. "I've been intrigued by some of the stories in here, and keep track of some. You see, I was the subject of a story. Surely, it's almost the first ficlet in this domain." Blappser held out her paws and said, "Okay, I know quite a few of you want to say it. On three."

On the count of three, many people shouted, "Stop calling me Shirley."

"What was the story about?" Franklin wanted to know.

"It concerned an activity familiar to him as a young child; walking with family to his great grandmother's house. His story had me doing the same thing, soon after I was given to him. As I was walking to my great grandmother's house, I decided to roll in a flower bed, as dogs will do. However, for some unknown reason, the flowers stuck on me. And that is why I've got this floral pattern."

"Swell. Neat. Cool. Or, whatever the best word is to use," Dennis the Menace said, sneaking up behind them. "I'm so old I've used pretty much every slang word. Anyway, tell me when the first part of the meeting is over."

"Why don't you want to go in?" Charlie Brown asked.

"Don'tcha see?" Dennis asked. "They're startin' to discuss our futures. I've been his imaginary friend for as long as you guys have. And, if he does like he has with you guys, I'm gonna hafta get married someday!"

"It won't be too bad. Just don't let this blockhead plan your wedding," Lucy said.

"But…" Charlie Brown sighed as Dennis ran off to play.

"I don't see what's so bad about getting married," Lucy proclaimed.

"For one, he's a five-year-old boy. The idea is laughable at his age," Linus pointed out. "Second, the leading candidate…"

Linus was interrupted by a red-headed girl of about seven. "Hello, has anyone seen my Dennis?" As Margaret spoke, Linus could tell this girl, wile not as crabby as Lucy, was potentially just as annoying. At least Lucy never tried to change anyone, she accepted Schroeder pretty well the way he was. "Oh, brother."

Another girl, named Gina, entered the scene next, and started arguing with Margaret over who liked Dennis more, and who could turn him into a better husband. "What do we do now, Chuck?" Peppermint Patty asked.

"About what?" Charlie Brown asked.

"What do you mean, 'about what?' You've got to talk that five-year-old kid into accepting that he'll marry someone someday, Chuck."

"Why me?" Charlie Brown asked the sky as he looked up.

They entered the auditorium, and heard D.J.'s dumb friend Kimmy – they weren't sure from which universe – responding to someone talking about a family of doctors, and saying to her, "a Meyer doctor." "Are you my doctor? Why would I have a doctor that looks like a dog?" she asked.

"No, no, you misheard, because of the sounds running together; I did not say 'Am I your doctor,' I said 'a Meyer doctor.' That's a mondegren."

She didn't' know a mondegren was a misheard statement, so she said, "You're on the green? But, we're nowhere near a golf course?"

Sally asked Charlie Brown, "Are mine mondegrens, or malaprops?"

"A little of each, Sally. But, you're really young, don't feel bad if you don't sound as intelligent as…"

He'd been trying to spare Sally's feelings, but not only did Sally not feel hurt, the next words out of Kimmy's mouth were quite comical.

Kimmy was talking about her time on the school paper. "I accidentally typed an article saying 'The Vikings sacked San Marino five times last Sunday.' It was really Dan Marino. If D.J. hadn't caught my typo, San Marino might have retaliated, and right now they might be at war with a Scandinavian country."

Sally looked at Charlie Brown. "Don't worry. I know I'm way smarter than that!"

They looked up and saw a stuffed dog that looked like a small brown puppy, whose name was Browine, talking. "…Imaginary friends can be forever. While it is mostly children who have them, anyone writing fan fiction could conceivably be using their creations as imaginary friends. But, not all become imaginary friends. And, this is not just because some don't choose to interact with the person on the level of imagination.

"There is a more fundamental thing. The 'friend' part is crucial. A person must feel the need to make one a friend for them to be a friend. An imaginary friend won't accept being made to do things that are against their character, or that are just mean or cruel. If a person's doing that, they aren't an imaginary friend in the true sense of the word. That's why not all fan fiction writers can say they consider them imaginary friends."

A six-year-old boy and his tiger came running in, shouting while Brownie spoke. "Spaceman Spiff surveys the serene's surroundings, and spies succulent cookies and soda surrounded by security. Spiff swiftly considers swiping seven."

"Could you repeat that?" Hobbes, the tiger, inquired.

"Are you crazy?" Calvin asked.

As Dennis ran in to invite Calvin to come out and play with him, the boy with imaginary worlds many times greater than this ignored him and said, "What is this; it looks like a Muppet convention. Hobbes, know any of these characters?"

"No, except for Tigger there – who happens to be gray and looks nothing like Tigger – they appear to be mostly dogs, with a few bears…maybe over 100."

"126 dogs, to be exact; about 30 weren't made well, so they've gone the way of the Velveteen Rabbit," one dog said.

Hobbes hummed. "He's got you beat on sheer numbers, but you have him beat hands down on complexity and spacing out."

"Spacing out? What's that supposed to mean?" Calvin asked angrily.

"Well, there was the time you tried to explain leaving the school and going to the park to play during a math test by saying you were experimenting to see if a story problem was really accurate," Hobbes said, counting on his fingers. "There was the time you had a drawing of aliens shooting people with ray guns as an answer on a history test…"

"I was answering Ronald Reagan. I tried to draw a ray gun, and it went from there."

"The test was on the American Revolution!"

Charlie Brown turned to Linus. "I wonder if he's an imaginary friend. All we know for sure are the ones from youth – us, Dennis, and 'Family Circus,' along of course with the stuffed dogs."

"I'm not sure, Charlie Brown. I like the idea one other person had of Calvin becoming a science fiction writer; it is one thing he really excelled at in one sequence."

"Hey, I'm the one who wrote that story," Hobbes protested.

Another dog was trying to speak through the weirdness in the audience. "Someone like Calvin is a good example of a kid who could, possibly, have an imaginary friend when he grows up. Why not? Why do people presume that Hobbes will be – if not forgotten – given to a child of Calvin and Susie's someday?"

"Ha!" Calvin shouted. "I'll marry her when the Red Sox win the World Series."

The dog spoke from the podium. "Well, Calvin, while the 'Peanuts' gang may not realize it, they've been transported in this hall from the time of Charles Schulz' death to 2007, just as you were from 1996. And the Red Sox have won two since then."

"What? That was supposed to work; they hadn't won in…!" He tried to think.

Linus pointed out that, "Being formed at age 6 in 1987, that makes it just about right."

Calvin began freaking out, his classmate Susie was astonished, and Dennis opened the door and shouted, "See why I don't wanna go in there?"

"Good grief. Listen, Sally, I see the kids from 'Family Circus' here, I've got an idea. Help me out, try to get Dennis to come over to where we are." He ran over and said, "Hey, I have a question. Has the creator of all this ever envisioned a timeline or a future for all of you?"

Billy, seven, shook his head. "It wouldn't make sense; he knows that in the beginning we were loosely based on the author's kids. So, we sort of have one."

"Yeah," Dolly, a Kindergarten-aged girl, echoed. "Besides, the speaker was talking about interacting with the actual characters. As imaginary friends, we're kids, not adults; just like you."

Dennis had begun to follow Sally over, but then hesitated. "I don't wanna marry her, she sounds too bossy." Lucy said she sounded fine to her.

"Right, and besides, I bet she doesn't make pizza near as good as my mom makes," Gina said, trying to entice Dennis with that. Margaret did the same with her brownies.

That at least caused Dennis to think for a moment. "Can you marry someone and the only thing you gotta do is eat their cooking?"

"It takes…more than that," Charlie Brown explained. "Just meeting them can be almost impossible."

"It was a good try, Charlie Brown," Linus consoled him.

"I found him out hiding in your family's pumpkin patch," Sally told Linus.

The subject of chronologies and realism was being discussed by another stuffed animal now, one with three floppy ears! They were red, white, and green, from left to right. The owner of the dog had had two black felt ears that kept falling off of it, so his mother asked what color of new ones he'd like her to sew on. The kid didn't want to leave one out, so he asked for one of each color that she had.

Three Eared Ginger remarked that, "As one's mind develops, if one maintains an imaginary friend, it's only natural that that imaginary friend's life story could become more complex. It may not be the case with a stuffed animal, like Hobbes. But, with fictional characters, it may be."

"So, that's why there was suddenly a pumpkin patch in our backyard," Rerun said.

"Exactly," Linus told him. "To add an element of realism to the situation, it was determined that, first, we live in a very small town where camping out safely is possible in one's yard, and second, that our family grows pumpkins. Others may have other ideas, but for some people, the realm of imaginary friend means a friend that can have some basis in reality. Although, of course, some fantasy can also occur."

Bluey was discussing the role of fantasy while introducing the characters from "Full House." "It is characters such as Snoopy that allow for characters who live and grow to become imaginary friends. If a person needs a companion, most imaginary friends are fixed in age. However, there must be a way to logically call up a person of varying ages. Since Snoopy can easily appear as a flying ace, a writer, an ordinary dog, a baseball player, or a member of several professions, to name a few of his attributes, then surely a person can be imagined at any of a number of ages." He seemed to suddenly realize what he'd said. "All right, I know – let's hear it…"

"Stop calling me Shirley," came a large number of shouts.

"Thank you, everyone," Stephanie Tanner said as she stepped up to the microphone. "It is indeed an honor to become imaginary friends. It seems a little weird, even freaky. But, let's remember that, in the imagination of a child, or an adult with some challenges, or one who just plain likes to imagine, like Calvin might be someday, it's just as easy to imagine a fictional character as an imaginary friend as it is to imagine a six-foot frog with five legs, blue and yellow stripes, and a catcher's mask, with a Green Bay Packers' jersey. All things considered, it's better that he have us."

After a moment, Michelle Tanner stepped up to the podium. "Hi, I'm Book Michelle, the one who takes after my big sister, not after the rebellious Uncle Jesse like TV Michelle. Both of us turn out great, it's just that I do a lot sooner. The Full House Chronology, which was worked on by a number of people, is where we became favorites to be in this great family of imaginary friends. Friends are important. And, it's great to know that throughout our lives, the Chronology shows us to be as wholesome and loving as any other imaginary friends in this great pantheon." The fourth grade class president giggled. "My dad helped me with that word. Anyway, soon, we will discuss who else might be in this great family. For now, I'd like to give the mike back to Steph for a moment."

"Thanks. We starred in a Peanuts crossover over in the Full House section, called, of course, 'It's a Full House, Charlie Brown.'"

Charlie Brown recalled. He whispered to Linus, "That's the one where she had a no-hitter, then I lost the ball. Which is okay, because embarrassing is normal for me," he muttered.

"It's like that one dog said, characterization is very important," Linus agreed.

Someone else was speaking. To pass the time, Peppermint Patty asked, "Why do these things have to be so long? Don't we even get any popcorn?" At that moment, Snoopy came down the aisle in a vendor's outfit, flinging bags of popcorn at people. Peppermint Patty's hit her in the head. "Remind me to keep my mouth shut next time, Chuck."

"…And, we also have Samantha, from RKORadio's Sam Series and the Chronology. I want to thank you all for this great honor," D.J. said. "And, whether the characters in question wind up chosen as official imaginary friends or not, this is a great sign to all cartoons, comics, TV shows, and everything that has ever had a fictional character. No matter how insignificant you may seem, there could be someone who finds and loves you, someone for whom you fit the bill as their imaginary friend. And, whether for that person's life, or for a bunch of people like the Peanuts kids are, you can be imaginary friends forever."

After the cheering, Snoopy came out and flashed an "Intermission" sign. "Now we have to caucus; and figure out who, if anyone, should be added, given the personality and situation," Linus explained.

That made sense to Charlie Brown. "He needs very wholesome characters, a family or group that's full of love. He has a lot of friends and activities outside of us, of course, and rarely uses us, but this person does still utilize imaginary friends to a small extent. I can see why they were honored. There can certainly be crabs like Lucy or other problems…" he caught Lucy's glare and fist. "But…sticking with the requirements, it's easy to see how they got in."

The discussion of various fandoms for which things had been written went rather quickly. Most, like Star Trek, had only had 1-2 stories or the stories were just parodies; a poem about Harry Potter finding Jesus was among the fics. Anyone from World War Two wasn't seen as viable – characters were from too long ago to be contemporary. "Rugrats" was better off as a group of kids that the "Peanuts" gang and Dennis knew, not as a group that would be in his imagination personally. He knew very little about them, and the stories he'd done himself, with nobody offering suggestions or help, were crossovers, anyway; one with "Peanuts," one with "Calvin and Hobbes."

Calvin and Hobbes got more support, and would be included as friends of Dennis, as per a couple crossovers, but Calvin didn't want to be imaginary. Besides, one stuffed dog argued, can an imaginary friend have an imaginary friend?

This touched off an argument between Calvin, Hobbes, and several others that led to the entire building and many of its occupants being drenched with water balloons by the end of the melee.

"That was fun!" Dennis declared.

"Dennis," Linus said, "I know you feel the same way I do about a girl hanging all over you at your age. But, the girls had just as much fun throwing all those water balloons. Maybe that's something you could do together."

"I think some people just wanted to throw them at Dennis," Lucy speculated.

"Does TV Michelle have a match for adulthood?" Marcie asked.

Dennis' mom and TV D.J. both agreed. "The Dennis of his imagination is more toned down than his first couple decades. The imaginary friend Dennis is like maybe the 1970s Dennis. Still, that's wilder than today, and I wouldn't want to pair him with TV Michelle. Too much wildness together," Alice Mitchell said.

"Besides, the Chronology already had her marrying the same boy who's in her class in the Book Universe who likes her some; they have a few different classes of the same grade," the stuffed dog Snoopy explained.

"Okay, Margaret," Gina said, pulling out another water balloon, "how about we have a water balloon duel for him."

"Hold it, you two. Seems to me I solved the same kind of problem as Principal's Assistant with Linus and Sally in 'It's a Full House, Charlie Brown,'" one Stephanie said. True to Snoopyfied form, as an official imaginary friend, she'd gone from a young teen to fifth grade instantly, just like Snoopy going from a golf pro to a flying ace.

"How do they do that?" Lucy wanted to know.

Snoopy grinned apologetically. "Sorry. Classified information. Only General Pershing and several top level people know about it."

"Oh, good grief," Lucy said.

Stephanie was undaunted. "Look, you two – especially Margaret – have got to relax. Your proms are years away. I know you used to be shown as being in Dennis' class, Margaret, before they aged you some. And, Gina, I know you two are both at an age when you like to think about love and marriage, because of the fairy tale stuff."

"And, they never stop thinkin' about it," Dennis complained.

"I had a play wedding in first grade. We were husband and wife all of a few minutes before my boy left for his mom's meatloaf. Do you really want a relationship that short?" Neither did. Unlike Sally, they knew what the prom was. "When you get older, you'll be able to choose. But, you might get someone totally different." She thought a moment. "Of course, you wouldn't have to get older in your imaginary friend status."

Charlie Brown turned to Dennis, and ignored comments wondering if he would mess things up. "Look, Dennis, I know you don't want to think about it; I hear from Linus all the time how he's kind of tired of Sally chasing him around. But, he still plays with her. I know Calvin would rather play with a tiger, but, you can at least stand some of them – marginally, anyway. I mean, you do like to turn the hose on them, but you do that to lots of people. And…I'm messing up, aren't I?"

"You can say that again," Lucy complained. "Look, kid, us girls know what we like. Get used to it."

"And that was supposed to help?!" Stephanie asked glibly.

"Who said anything about helping him?" Lucy fussed.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, and Michelle and Samantha came up to them, talking about the fun Michelle and Jeff had as classmates. "Pick someone you like and have fun playing a little," they suggested. "See what happens."

"But, if he does that, he might pick Gina," Margaret complained. "I'm the one who can make him into a proper young man."

"I think you're right about him picking Gina. If you really want to try to help, we need to have a talk about your attitude," Stephanie told her. "You can get a little proud and boastful sometimes…" she said lowly, trying to help Margaret understand. "You remind me of this kid I heard about; she was ten, and she seemed like the perfect camper. Always singing the loudest, always being the first to help, knowing the most verses. Well, the last night of camp, they had a message about the time Jesus told these Pharisees that whoever was without sin could condemn someone. One by one they left. They realized as perfect as they were trying to be, they couldn't' reach God's perfection. They had been trying to act so proud, till they were shown how imperfect they were inside.

"So, after the service, this girl went up to the front and said she needed to trust Christ as her Savior. The camp director was kind of stunned – he thought if anyone was already saved, it was this girl. He asked her why she thought she needed saved, and you know what she said? She said, 'because I'm a Pharisee.' She realized, as perfect as she tried to be, she couldn't be, and needed Christ's forgiveness, so He could come live in her and change her on the inside. Do you understand?"

Margaret thought a moment, then whispered, "Yeah, I do." Before talking more about it with Stephanie, she asked, "Was that you?"

"Me? Nah, I heard that in church once. I trusted Christ when I learned what forgiveness was – I backed a car into the kitchen when I was eight, and ran away thinking nobody could ever forgive me or love me again, but they did…."

"I hear 'The Girl Who Broke Something' has been used as a Sunday School lesson,' Linus said to make small talk.

"Even this blockhead could teach that one," Lucy remarked, pointing to Charlie Brown. "Probably right after forgetting his regular lesson plan."

"So, how about it, Dennis? I know you wouldn't have to, but all the others have some sort of history and future. I mean, you have enough friends and a set universe, it could be argued that you just marry someone we don't know. Actually, I heard someone say once you could be Calvin's dad, and just dye your hair black," Charlie Brown noted.

"You mean I could have a kid to play with like Calvin someday? That'd be neat."

Gina shook her head. "I don't think I'd want that!"

"Tell you what, why don't you two just decide to be friends and play together, just like with Margaret, and see what happens. Gina, you and Margaret can just promise not to fight over Dennis so much," Linus suggested.

Dennis said, "If by fightin' you mean bribin' me with food, I love that part."

Bluey came over to the group as they were caucusing, and asked if they'd decided on anything; Charlie Brown announced the results. "Great. Thanks for your help. Of course, we've all been imaginary friends for so long, I guess you're used to it by now."

"You're right. It's been fun." As the group sat down to pizza, cookies, and pop, he turned to Linus. "I guess we have a future past Sparky after all."

"I knew we would, Charlie Brown. It's just like the one person said; any creation has the chance to be an imaginary friend. And, it really is an honor, as long as we're used in good, loving, wholesome ways."

Snoopy raised a mug of root beer and spoke. "We may not have new adventures on the funny pages anymore. But, it's great to know that in the hearts of many, we can be friends forever."

--

A/N: I've stopped saying it's for good, but again, I might not have time for any more, and it's a good one to close on, with these "friends." Thanks for being part of my world by reading my fics, it's been fun sharing my ideas, and my "imaginary friends," with you. I may not always see characters the same way others do, as I do probably seek the wholesome and even need it much more than most. But, I hope you liked it all, anyway. And, I pray you might have a great time beyond, too; we're each only a single, sincere prayer of repentance to Jesus away from eternal life. I wasn't always perfect with my stories, but I had fun.

With that, I say so long, and God Bless.


End file.
